When collaborating with another Monograph customer, it is important to establish a single source of truth for the project before work begins.
Because each firm manages its own Monograph account independently, it is possible for both firms to create separate versions of the same project.
If a collaboration invitation is later accepted, duplicate projects may exist across the participating firms. Monograph does not automatically identify or notify firms when a collaborative project may already exist in their account, so it is important to review your existing projects and align on which project will serve as the primary record moving forward.
Without a clear source of truth, duplicate projects can lead to time being entered, budgets being managed, or invoices being generated from the wrong project.
Before You Start Collaborating
Before work begins, align with the other firm on which company will own and manage the collaborative project.
If one firm plans to create the project and invite collaborators, determine this before either team begins building out project data, entering time, or managing budgets.
To help avoid duplicate projects:
Decide which firm will create and own the collaborative project.
Determine which firm will send the collaboration invitation.
Wait until the invitation has been accepted before creating a separate version of the project in your own account.
Communicate to all team members which project should be used for time entry, staffing, and project management.
Taking a few minutes to align on project ownership at the start of the engagement can help avoid duplicate projects and ensure both firms are working from the same source of truth.
What Happens If I Already Have a Duplicate Project?
The best path forward depends on whether activity has already occurred on the duplicate project.
No Time Logged or Invoices Created
If no time has been logged and no invoices have been created, simply align with the other firm on which project will serve as the source of truth and archive or delete the duplicate project.
Time Has Been Logged
If time has already been entered against the duplicate project, those time entries should be moved to the source of truth project before archiving or deleting the duplicate.
Time entries can be bulk edited and reassigned to another project. If the duplicate project is archived or deleted before the time is moved, those time entries will no longer be available on the source of truth project.
Invoices Have Been Created
If invoices have already been created on the duplicate project, they cannot be automatically transferred to another project.
Before archiving or deleting the duplicate project, any required open invoices should first be manually recreated on the source of truth project. If an invoice has already been marked as Paid, it must first be updated to Unpaid before it can be deleted from the duplicate project.
Once all necessary invoices have been recreated and verified, the duplicate project can be archived or removed.
If both time entries and invoices exist on the duplicate project, move the time entries first, then recreate any necessary invoices before archiving or deleting the project. This helps ensure no project data is lost during the transition.
Why This Matters
Working from multiple versions of the same project can create confusion and lead to time being entered against the wrong project, budgets and staffing information becoming fragmented, invoices being generated from an unintended project, and reporting inaccuracies. Taking a few minutes to align on project ownership and maintain a single source of truth can help ensure a smooth collaboration experience for all firms involved.